For obtaining reliable results of sample processing a highly accurate sample cleaning procedure must be followed to ensure that during rinsing the sample water could not entrain some of the sample material. With this aim in view, the base of the concentrator should be set strictly horizontally. Taking into account the fact that one of the major advantages of the concentrator is amenability to mounting on the wing of a drilling rig operating in locations with rugged terrain, it is impossible to position the concentrator horizontally and therefore obtain reliable sample test results.
There are known rotary separator (concentrators) for beneficiating minerals, particularly gold, operating on the principle of concentrating heavy metals or minerals, and comprising a base with a hub, and a beneficiating member with a discharge hole mounted on a shaft of the drive mechanism.
The drive mechanism is fashioned as a hollow drive shaft journalled in bearings in the base hub and accommodating with an eccentricity on bearings a shaft of the beneficiating member rotating about a circle of a radius equal to the eccentricity. The beneficiating member has the form of a bowl provided with riffles at the inner surface thereof, and the discharge ports. The separator also has a breaking mechanism in the form of brake disks, a system of levers and elements closing the discharge ports in the bottom.
However, accurate cleaning of the sample requires here that the base of the separator be positioned strictly horizontally. In addition, washing the concentrate from the space between the riffles when using hard-to-wash materials necessitates stopping of the separator and thorough cleaning of the riffles, which makes the washing process labour- and time-consuming.